Homily: March 6, 2022, Monday of the second Sunday in Lent (Be Merciful).

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 “Be merciful, as your Father is merciful.”

‘Misericordia’ the Latin word for ‘mercy’. It is made up of  ‘miseriae’ which means ‘misery’ and ‘cordis’ which means ‘heart’. God's mercy for us is His loving heart extended towards our misery. He understands, empathizes and embraces our misery in His heart.

What is humanity’s greatest misery?

That we are weak and prone to sin.

And what is God’s response to this misery of humanity?

Mercy. We do not deserve His forgiveness but He gives it willingly. This is mercy.

We heard in the first reading, Daniel admitting that “we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws”.

Humanity is always going against God. But God remains compassionate. “But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!”

He never gives up on us, He is always merciful to us.

So what must we do?

Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “be merciful.”

This world is full of sin and wrong-doings, not just against God but against one another. And people are quick to judge, slow to forgive. Mercy is hard to come by. Yet, Jesus says, “be merciful.”

People around us are sometimes offensive, hurtful, even harmful and evil, it is hard to see any goodness in them. Yet, Jesus says, “be merciful.”

Not because we are capable of it, but because God is merciful to us.

As we approach the Holy Triduum, let us take a moment to contemplate the passion and death of Jesus, how God forgave those who persecuted His Son, and forgives us who continue to persecute and reject His kingship in various ways.

God is merciful, so let us be merciful.

God's mercy knows no bounds, so let our hearts not be bound by our logic, let us be a source of comfort and healing to everyone in need, without judgement, without prejudice.

May we be merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful. Amen.


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Homily, Wednesday,January 5, 2022, Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

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